Apple TV Bleeding Market Share To Amazon And Roku

The Apple TV might be a robust set-top box but it’s finding it difficult to compete against similar products from Amazon and Roku. According to a new report, the Apple TV is bleeding market share to these rivals as the proportion of U.S. households owning and using an Apple TV is shrinking compared to those owning and using an Amazon or Roku device.

Parks Associates conducted a study recently which found that Apple TV only accounted for 15 percent of the country’s set-top box market in the first quarter of this year. It was a 19 percent decline compared to the same period last year. The study is based on a survey of 10,000 U.S. broadband households that owned at least one streaming player.

On the other hand, Roku saw an improvement in its lead year-over-year. Its market share is up from 33 percent in the first quarter of 2016 to 37 percent in the first quarter of 2017. Amazon also saw an increase in its market share.

Amazon’s Fire TV range saw its market share increase during the same timeframe. It went from accounting for 16 percent of the market to account for 24 percent. Google Chromecast saw a slight decline from 21 percent to 18 percent in the first quarter of this year.

Apple is believed to be working on an upgrade for the Apple TV to improve its position in the set-top box market. It may launch an Apple TV with 4K support and even add 4K resolution content to the iTunes Store at some point in the future.